Chapter 4 - THE WEAPONIZATION OF PROOF
By 4:00 AM, the storm outside had reached a crescendo, but inside the library of the Varric estate, the air was deadly still.
Matteo had summoned his head of security, a towering former intelligence operative named Marcus, along with his chief legal counsel, Arthur Pendelton. Pendelton, a veteran attorney with silver hair and an impeccable reputation in appellate law, reviewed the DNA printout alongside the medical logs Liana had preserved from Mercy General.
"Legally, this is an explosive nightmare," Pendelton stated, setting his gold-rimmed glasses on the mahogany desk. "If we go directly to the District Attorney right now, Julianna’s legal team will tie this up in pretrial motions for months. They will claim Mrs. Graves is an unstable former employee trying to extort the Varric family. Dr. Vance will destroy the remaining medical logs at Mercy General before a search warrant can be executed."
"I don't care about the courts, Arthur," Matteo said coldly, pouring himself two fingers of scotch. "I care about burning her empire to the ground."
"If you kill her or use street tactics, Matteo," Pendelton warned firmly, "you forfeit the legal custody of this estate, and Mrs. Graves will be dragged into a high-profile criminal investigation where her child could be placed in state custody as a piece of physical evidence."
Liana, who was sitting in a leather wingback chair with Leo asleep in her lap, looked up sharply. "State custody? No! Nobody is taking my son again!"
"Listen to Arthur," Liana demanded, her eyes blazing at Matteo. "If they take him into a court shelter while you fight your sister, she could reach him there. We have to destroy them completely—legally, financially, and publicly—so she can never touch us."
Matteo looked at Liana with a new level of respect. She was not just a grieving mother; she had the tactical clarity of someone who had survived the absolute worst life could throw at her.
"What do you suggest, Mrs. Graves?" Matteo asked.
"Dr. Vance," Liana said instantly. "He’s the weak link. He’s a doctor who sold a living child for a bribe. A man who trades his oath for money is a coward. If we break Vance, he will give us Julianna."
"She’s right," Marcus agreed from the doorway. "Vance owes millions in offshore gambling debts in Macau. I’ve been tracking his financials for six months as part of routine intelligence on Apex Health. Julianna cleared his debts three days after Leo was reported dead."
Matteo slammed his glass onto the desk. "Marcus, get a team together. We pay Dr. Vance a visit at his private clinic in Oakridge before the sun comes up."
"I'm coming with you," Liana said, standing up with Leo cradled firmly against her chest.
"Absolutely not," Matteo countered. "It’s too dangerous."
"Dr. Vance knows my face," Liana insisted, stepping toe-to-toe with the mafia boss. "He looked me in the eye and told me my baby stopped breathing. When he sees me standing in front of him holding the child he stole, he will crumble. You need me there to make sure he knows his lie is dead."
May you like
Matteo stared into Liana’s fierce, unyielding green eyes. For the first time in his life, he was looking at an equal—not in wealth or power, but in sheer, indestructible willpower.
"Fine," Matteo growled. "Marcus, arm two armored SUVs. Pendelton, draft a confession affidavit and an emergency motion for protective custody. Tonight, we start hunting."
